Grimm
by rogueandkurt
Summary: Wally's hearing voices. And they're telling him things he never wanted to know about the League. Post Divided We Fall. FlashCentered. Rated for possible suicide. Mild GLHG, BMWW, GABC.
1. Initiation

Okay, this story popped into my head three weeks ago, and I just had to write it. I have already written the story in its entirety, so my postings should be fairly scheduled.  
It's Wally-centric with plenty of angst. Mild romances include mostly Lantern/Shayera, but also Green Arrow/Black Canary and implied Batman/Wonder Woman. 

WARNING: This story is post 'Divided We Fall', and there are plenty of references made to it. As well, it is rated for suicide.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Grimm, this plot and my socks…Hey-Wait a minute…These aren't my socks…

* * *

CHAPTER ONE: INITIATION

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Elongated Man whispered as he and Flash approached what appeared to be an abandoned temple.

"That's what J'onn said," Flash replied edgily. The place had a very creepy vibe to it. Not that he would ever admit he was scared.

Wally West had jumped at the chance of a mission. Ever since the Brainiac/Luthor attack two weeks ago, he had noticed a steady decline in his assignments. He had been worried that his almost dying had convinced the team of his inexperience and inability to control his powers. When J'onn mentioned a mission to track Volcana, Flash had seen it as a chance to prove himself to them.

Volcana, for her part, had chosen a rather eerie place for a showdown. According to J'onn, she was attempting to steal an enormous sacred ruby from a temple in the outskirts of a remote African village. The entire place looked like it hadn't been visited in decades.

Flash led the way as the two men cautiously entered the abandoned temple. The walls were lined with vines and spider webs, and the floor, which had once been stone, was covered with dust and dirt. Perhaps the creepiest elements were the skeletons that littered the hall, each having apparently died a gruesome death within the walls.

It was so dark that Flash failed to see the crack in the floor. He tripped and fell forward, grabbing the wall for support.

"Watch it, Flash!" Elongated Man reprimanded, helping his friend to regain his balance. "There are probably booby-traps all over the place!"

Flash snorted, and was about to reply that Ralph was sounding like a character in an Indiana Jones movie, but he never got the chance. At that moment, they spotted Volcana heading towards them, ruby in hand.

Flash was immediately on his guard. "You distract her, and I'll grab the ruby," he said just loudly enough for his friend to hear.

Elongated Man just barely managed to dodge a flame blast from the villainess.

"Easier said than done," He muttered under his breath.

* * *

"You did what?"

J'onn Jonzz stared calmly into the angry face of Superman. When he replied, there was no trace of hurt or anger in his voice.

"I sent Flash on a mission to capture Volcana" He repeated, his eyes never wavering. This seemed to upset Superman even more.

"How could you send him on such a dangerous mission alone?"

J'onn raised an eyebrow. "Elongated Man is with him. I did not feel they required further assistance. Flash is a founding member, after all."

Superman's eyebrows snapped together in an angry line. "A founding member who almost died less than two weeks ago. What if he tries to go that fast again? You should have sent another founding member with them."

"Flash volunteered for the assignment. He knows where his limits are. And he has seen far more danger on previous missions."

Superman knew he was beaten. There were no logical reasons to keep Wally from fighting. But he and some of the others were still worried about Flash. They had almost lost him, and they weren't eager to risk that again.

J'onn knew Superman's intentions were good. He offered him a small smile before turning back to his controls. He too was worried about the Scarlet Speedster, but he realised that keeping Flash off of missions would only result in angering him. Wally would just accuse the League of babying him. It was far better to let him go-with the proper supervision of course.

He pressed the button to open com-link with Flash.

"Flash? Have you located Volcana?"

* * *

Flash was busy dodging fire blasts when he heard J'onn in his earpiece.

"Ten-four, buddy!" He quipped happily. Even in the most serious of times, he never lost his sense of humour. "We're fighting with ol' flame-hair now. Don't worry, we'll get the ruby back!"

Seemingly satisfied with the answer, J'onn replied, "Understood. Watchtower, out."

Wally surveyed the scene around him. Elongated Man was busy evading Volcana's blasts in an attempt to distract her from Flash's movements.

"It's worthless to try and stop me," she gloated, smiling cruelly. "I've got the two of you beat. It's sad that the League sent its two most pathetic members to take me down."

Flash narrowed his eyes. He was not pathetic! He gallantly rushed forward through the narrow hall. Unbeknownst to him, he triggered one of the booby-traps Elongated Man had warned him about. Immediately, holes in the walls opened up and arrows began shooting at the three super powered humans.

Volcana retreated out of range of the arrows. The heroes were not as lucky. As Elongated Man stretched his body to its limit to avoid the seemingly endless attack of arrows, Flash dodged for all he was worth. Ralph soon made it safely across, and resumed his fight with Volcana.

Flash was within inches of safety when a lone fireball came hurtling towards his head. Ducking it with ease, he did not notice an arrow headed directly for his chest until it was mere inches away. He threw his upper body to the side, allowing the arrow to pass him, but not before it grazed his right upper-arm.

Wally stopped and grabbed his arm, which was now bleeding lightly through the cut in his uniform. It stung, but he told himself to suck it up. He was a superhero after all.

"If you're done messing around, Flash?" Elongated Man's voice shook Flash out of his reverie. He looked up to where his friend was and saw that Ralph had beaten Volcana and stretched his body around her to keep her from escaping. He was smiling smugly, and holding the ruby in his hands.

"Why don't you put this back where it belongs, and I'll take her outside," suggested Elongated Man, stretching himself further to hand the ruby to Wally. Wally nodded glumly and raced off to put the ruby in its rightful place.

* * *

"I heard you took down Volcana all by yourself, Ralphie," Kara smiled as she greeted the two heroes. They had just arrived back at the Watchtower and had been greeted by many of their impressed friends.

Ralph smiled at Supergirl, walking next to her as Wally trailed behind them.

"Not all by myself," He replied happily. "Wally was there, too. Weren't you, Wally?"

Both he and Supergirl turned to face their friend who was looking very peeved with himself and absently nursing his right arm.

Kara frowned in confusion. "Are you okay, Flash?" She asked, moving closer to inspect the arm he was rubbing.

Flash pulled away from her and immediately flashed his trademark grin.

"I'm fine. You shoulda seen Dibny here go after Volcana. It was awesome!" He praised, willing to give credit where credit was due. He backed away from his friends, hiding his arm from view. "I'm gonna go wash all the gunk off my costume. Catch you guys later!"

With that, he zoomed off to his quarters. He had not been lying. His costume, like Elongated Man's, was a mess. It was covered in dirt, grime and the occasional scorch mark. But that wasn't his main concern.

Once inside, he immediately removed his uniform in order to get a better look at his arm. The wound was not very deep, but it stretched across his bicep to form what he was certain would be one heck of a scar.

It had all but stopped bleeding now, and stung very little. He had been lucky. As he treated the wound, he silently berated himself for being so slow.

The Watchtower was now equipped with a state-of-the-art Med bay, complete with highly trained doctors and medics. But Flash would certainly not resort to having them patch up his wound, no matter what the protocol was. It was bad enough that he had failed to capture Volcana himself and thus restore the League's confidence in him, but he had also managed to put himself and his teammate in danger.

"What kind of idiot sets off a booby-trap?" He wondered angrily. On top of it all, he had managed to hurt himself, something that would never have happened to the others. What good was being the fastest man alive if you couldn't even dodge arrows properly?

Flash winced slightly as he wrapped a bandage around his arm. As soon as it was tight enough, he set to work on mending the tear in his gear.

A minute later, he was dressed in his sparkling clean costume. He adjusted it in the mirror until he was certain the bandages could not be seen under the skin-tight uniform.

He then plastered a smile on his face and left his room. The day was still young, and there was plenty of time to beat Green Arrow in a game of Brawlin'-Bots.

* * *

Okay, hope you liked the first chap! The story really starts in chapter two. I'll post it in a few days. If I get a lot of response, I may post it sooner. Who knows?

Anyway, read and REVIEW!

Keep Smiling! ;)

rogueandkurt


	2. Provocation

Back with a vengeance! I can't believe the number of Flash Fans out there! I'm not alone! This chapter has more angst, as well as some GREEN LANTERN!

Glad to see that the last chapter got some response! Thanks to the folks who author alerted this fic, and put it as a favourite-That really means a lot to me! As I said, this is where the story will really start. Things are gonna be kinda weird and angsty. And you'll understand the title! ENJOY!

Special thanks to **Gotham's Princess** for reviewing within ten minutes of me posting!

And to **Lady** **Raiden**-wow, you've got some interesting stuff there. Don't worry-you will be seeing a lot of what goes on in Wally's head, as well as how the other characters treat him and feel about him.

Thanks for all the reviews! Now, on with the show! ;)

Disclaimer: I only own Grimm and this plotline. The rest came from someone else's mind.

* * *

CHAPTER TWO: PROVOCATION 

"What did you just say?"

"I'm sorry, Vixen. It's over." John Stewart stared coolly ahead, not brave enough to look her in the eye. They had both known this was coming, but breaking it off was still no easy task for either of them.

Vixen's eyes narrowed. "It's because of HER, isn't it," she said coldly. It was a statement, not a question. She didn't have to give a name for Green Lantern to understand whom she meant.

"It's not just that," He replied, with more sureness than he actually felt. "There are other things. We both knew this wasn't working. We're just too different." He found himself looking directly at her now. "I'm really sorry, Mari."

Vixen sighed. She knew she had lost. Truth be told, he was right; it hadn't been about feelings for either of them for a long time. John had just wanted to show he was over Shayera, and Vixen had wanted to win the tug-of-war she and Shayera had started for his affections.

She smiled ruefully up at him. Raising a hand, she caressed the side of his face before giving him one last peck on the lips. She slowly slid her hand off of him, and turned to go.

"I hope you two will be very happy together," She said with only a hint of jealousy as she sauntered out of the room, leaving behind the guy she had once thought to be the man of her dreams.

* * *

Flash surveyed the hallways, looking in turn at each of the faces he saw. Having successfully beaten Arrow's Brawlin'-Bot into the ground, he was now in search of some entertainment to occupy his time. Blast his luck-Wonder Woman and Black Canary had already finished their training sessions for the day. Oh well, there were plenty of other cute girls around to watch! 

He was busy 'studying' a group of heroines nearby when he spotted Green Lantern walking out of one of the rooms. Flash smiled when he caught his eye, and made to walk over towards him. John however, shook his head at the younger man's actions, a frown evident on his face, and walked off in the opposite direction.

Wally was confused, and the thought that GL was mad at him briefly crossed his mind. He banished it immediately, assuring himself that something else was bothering his friend. Whatever it was, he was certain that John would share it with him eventually.

**

* * *

**

It was late when Wally finally decided to get some rest. He repressed a yawn as he waltzed into his temporary quarters and turned off the lights. After changing out of his costume, he flopped down onto his bed. Although he had an apartment of his own in Central City, he often spent his nights in the Watchtower. Maybe it was the convenience, and maybe it was the company, but he always felt more comfortable in the spacecraft than in his one bedroom bachelor pad.

Closing his eyes, he found himself thinking about his teammates. Things had changed since the League had opened its doors to more members. Back when it was just the seven of them, they had almost been like family. They had taken him in when no one else would, and almost never judged him according to his age. They had been his best friends. Not that they weren't close now. It was just that no one seemed to have time for anyone anymore.

Now, he sometimes went days without seeing J'onn, who had been placed in charge of missions. Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman were constantly patrolling or talking with officials. And with G.L.'s new girlfriend, he and John hadn't hung out in weeks.

Which was why he was so troubled by John's behavior earlier. A year ago, John would have immediately come to him if he had a problem. Mostly, they talked about Shayera. Wally was always willing to listen and crack a joke or two to cheer up his pal. So why didn't he want to talk about what was bothering him now?

"It's because he doesn't respect you."

Wally sat up in bed at the sound of an unfamiliar voice in his room. He looked around, but could see no one.

"Who's there?" He called to the darkness, grabbing his mask and pulling it over his face.

There was no answer. He searched the entire room twice, before determining that he had merely been hearing things.

"Just don't eat hamburgers before bedtime," He concluded, climbing back under the covers. "Great, now I'm talking to myself!"

"Funny you should say that…"

This time, Flash was certain he'd heard the voice. It had sounded almost…. feminine? He sat up again, prepared for whatever was there.

"Who are you?" he asked, searching the room with his eyes but finding no trace of the voice's owner. He swiftly got out of bed and looked around. The voice had come from the far corner of his small room.

"I'm you," the voice replied roughly.

Flash whipped around and saw before him a girl about his age. She wore black leather pants and a leather jacket over a black t-shirt that didn't quite cover all of her stomach. Her chin-length chestnut hair framed her face and accented her distinctively grey eyes. She might have been very pretty, if not for the horrible scars on her face, the most prominent of which was a slash across her left eye. There was something odd about her, too. She had a cruel look on her face, and her eyes were filled with disgust.

Flash registered all of this information in the time it takes a person to blink. Or maybe just to consider blinking. Either way, there was a strange girl in his bedroom. He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Who are you?" He repeated.

The girl looked annoyed.

"What, are you deaf now? I told you I'm you," She said, crossing her arms. Flash raised an eyebrow at this outrageous statement. There were a couple of things that made her quite obviously different from him, after all.

She sighed impatiently. "I'm another side of you, I suppose. Consider me your rational side, if you ever had one." She laughed harshly. "You can call me Grimm, since that's how your future here looks."

'Grim' certainly fit her. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she didn't like him very much. However, Wally supposed she was the kind of person who didn't like anything very much.

"What do you mean?" He questioned, confused at this girl's cryptic answer.

"I know you're stupid Wally, but now you can't understand Basic English?" She mocked. "I'll try it slower: I. Am. You. I'm a side of your personality."

Wally blinked, unsure of what upset him most about her comment; the fact she called him stupid, the fact she knew his real name; or the fact that she claimed to be a part of him. Suddenly, brilliance struck.

"Oh yeah? If you're a part of me, how come I can see you? Huh? Answer me that, little Miss Creepy!" Wally smiled in triumph. As soon as she admitted who she really was, he could deal with her and get some sleep.

Grimm narrowed her eyes at him. "Because I'm in your head, dummy! You're the ONLY person who can see me."

Flash frowned in confusion. That didn't make sense, did it? He knew there was something wrong with what she had just said, but he couldn't think of what it was. He felt himself wanting to believe everything Grimm told him.

The girl in question scoffed at Flash's predicament. "You never were very bright. No wonder no one can stand you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Wally protested, moving towards the dark dame. Suddenly she had disappeared. Wally looked around for her in confusion.

Grimm appeared, sitting on top of Flash's dresser in the opposite corner of the room.

"It means," She continued as if nothing had happened, "That your teammates think you're a joke. And who can blame them? You're useless!"

"That's not true!" Flash shot back. "I'm one of the original seven members!"

"Which is about the only reason they've kept you around for so long," Grimm retorted, completely unfazed by Wally's reaction. "You had to have noticed the decrease in your missions since the League expanded."

Flash shrugged. "With so many members, they have to make sure everyone gets assignments."

Grimm laughed harshly, "That's just their excuse. Or haven't you realized; Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman- they've all had more than twice the number of missions you have since the expansion. Even Shayera is getting more assignments and she betrayed the entire league! Face it, no one takes you seriously."

Wally sat down hard on his bed. That was exactly what Luthor's version of the Lord's Flash had said to him. In fact, he had heard many a time that his humor was often inappropriate and immature. Batman was a big fan of this philosophy. But surely his friends didn't consider him to be a complete joke!

**Have you ever given them a reason not to think that?** Wally asked himself silently. **The only time you were close to solemn about something was when Hawkgirl betrayed the league. **Maybe his friends didn't take him as seriously as he thought.

Grimm watched from her perch as Wally tried to sort out his conflicting thoughts. She could hardly contain a cruel smile as his confidence in his friends began to dwindle.

* * *

Well, that's chapter two! Hope you guys liked it. I know Grimm is kind of weird, but you'll grow to hate her over time(I know I do!)... Please let me know your opinions-good or bad! REVIEW! ...please... 

Next up: even more angst for our favorite speedster, and some one on one with Superman and Diana!(Don't worry-they're not a couple!)

TTFN! Keep Smiling! ;)

rogueandkurt


	3. ReEducation

Okay, the last chapter didn't get as much response, but none of it was bad, so I guess I'm doing alright.

Glad to hear some of the remarks about Grimm eagerly joins **doc-trigger** in viciously bashing Grimm with chair…ahem…

Anyways, here's a side order of angst served by the Man of Steel and the Princess of the Amazons! Please read and review:)

Disclaimer: Seriously, I only own Grimm (the little devil)!

* * *

CHAPTER THREE: RE-EDUCATION 

"You can't expect J'onn to keep him off of missions indefinitely, Clark."

Clark Kent sighed, rubbing his hand across his face in a tired gesture.

"I don't expect him to, Diana," He replied from his seat in the cafeteria where he and Wonder Woman were having lunch. "I just assumed that we'd wait a while before sending him on dangerous missions virtually unsupervised, that's all."

Diana raised an eyebrow. "And since when do founding members have to be babysat?"

"Come on, you have to admit-he's not as experienced as the rest of us."

"But he's also proven himself a number of times in fights. We can't protect him forever."

"And if something happens to him?" Superman questioned, turning to look her in the eye. "He came so close to leaving us. Are you willing to risk his life just so he's not treated unfairly?"

"We all take that risk with our own lives. Wally's old enough to make that decision for himself."

He and Diana both glanced towards the other corner of the cafeteria where Flash sat eating with Supergirl, Dove, Green Arrow and Black Canary. Arrow was busy telling them what appeared to be a very amusing story, which prompted Flash to laugh so hard that he squirted pop out his nose.

Wonder Woman and Superman both turned back to their table.

"Okay, so maybe he's a little immature…" Diana admitted

"He's only 20, Diana!" Superman said in a frantic whisper, not wanting other people to overhear. "He can't even drink yet! I think we forget how young he is sometimes."

* * *

Arrow finished his story, and Flash decided to find John and con him into playing video games with him. He excused himself from the table of his pals and went to put his tray away. 

Near the back of the cafeteria, Flash spotted Diana and Clark sitting at a secluded table. He started to make his way over to them to say hello. Neither of the pair had spotted him, and he suddenly realized that they were deep in conversation. Superman seemed to be upset over something.

Determining that perhaps it was better to leave the two heroes to their privacy, Flash turned to go. But when he heard a snippet of their conversation, he stopped cold.

"…have to agree, he's irresponsible on missions and too easily distracted. He never takes anything seriously," Superman told Wonder Woman, unaware of their eavesdropper.

"True, but Wally is still a member of this team," Diana replied calmly.

Superman shook his head, "You saw him during that fight with Brainiac and Luthor. If Shayera hadn't grabbed him, he would have died. If he runs like that again without thinking, he's going to get himself killed!"

Superman banged the table with his fist, making a small dent. He took a deep breath before continuing. "We just can't have him taking those kinds of risks out there."

Flash didn't wait to hear another word. He left cafeteria and didn't stop until he was safely within the confines of his room.

* * *

"I understand what you're saying, Clark," Diana soothed, placing her hand on his in an attempt to cool the Man of Steel's temper. "I worry about him too. We all do. But what are we supposed to do about it?" 

"I'm going to ask J'onn to only put Wally on missions that include another founding member. That way, one of us can keep an eye on him."

Diana looked unconvinced, but Superman smiled at her.

"It will only be for a little while," He assured her. "Just until we're certain that he can handle it."

* * *

"You seem so surprised. I told you they didn't trust you." 

Wally lay on his bed staring at the bland ceiling. Grimm's visits had become nightly over the past couple of days, and he had grown quite used to her presence in his room, as well as her constant commentary on his life. Tonight, she sat cross-legged on the foot of his bed going over the conversation that Flash had overheard between his so-called friends.

In Flash's mind, it just didn't make sense. "I don't get it," he voiced aloud to himself. "I single-handedly took down Luthor AND Brainiac to save the world, and Supes thinks I take too many risks?"

"It's you that he thinks is the risk," Grimm clarified. "After all, what kind of superhero can't control their own powers? It's obviously too much for you to handle. What if you hurt someone?"

Flash sat up and looked at her.

"I wouldn't hurt anyone!" He protested, his fists clenching tightly around his bed sheets. "Besides, I can control my powers just fine. I know not to run that fast again."

"Do you?" Grimm sounded amused. "All it takes is one little mistake. You should know-you've made plenty of them on the field." She looked pointedly at his arm, which was still bandaged. "And what if it gets worse? What if you start attracting this 'speed force' at even lower speeds? Face it, Wally. You're a screw-up. Everybody knows it but you."

Flash covered his face with his hands. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't. His friends cared about him.

"They saved my life," he whispered.

Grimm rolled her eyes. "They had to. How would it look if one of their members died from their own powers? How weak would that make them sound? You went from being the League's most useless member to having all of this power and potential at your fingertips. But you can't even use it. You're a disgrace."

Flash closed his eyes and lay his head back down on his pillow, Grimm's words repeating over and over in his head.

* * *

And so the unfortunate circumstances continue! Poor Flash! Sorry for the short chapter! 

Believe it or not, Grimm gets even worse as the story progresses!

PLEASE REVIEW! They encourage me to update faster (as well as tweak the story slightly to what people enjoy!)

Thanks for reading! TTYL!

Keep smiling ;)

rogueandkurt


	4. Deterioration

Hey all! I'm seriously enjoying all of the Grimm-bashing reviews! They make my day! So thanks to **DianaRulz**, **Gotham's Princess**, **doc-trigger**, **Lavender** **Wonder** and **Hersenschim** for hating her as much as I do:)

And thanks to everyone else for the awesome feedback. This chapter is the first real appearances of Black Canary, Green Arrow and SHAYERA! (I'm a big fan, so you'll be seeing more of her. Can't say the same for the other two though…)

Special thanks to **star's dreams** for the insightful and slightly poetic take on Grimm. I enjoyed your opinion very much. Don't worry; Grimm will be getting fairly nasty very soon. COUGHchaptersixCOUGH!

Now, on with the fic!

Disclaimer: As ashamed as I am to say it, Grimm is my only creation.

* * *

CHAPTER FOUR: DETERIORATION

Black Canary sighed and stared absentmindedly at the table in front of her. She hardly noticed her boyfriend standing behind her until he sat down next to her, putting two trays on the cafeteria table.

"Stop worrying, Dinah," he comforted. "The medics say he's going to be fine."

The blonde beauty didn't respond, and gave no sign that she had even heard Green Arrow speak.

Arrow sighed to himself. She'd been like this ever since they'd gotten word that Wildcat had been seriously wounded on an away mission. He knew how connected she was to Ted, and how upset she got whenever anything threatened her former mentor. It was no wonder that Arrow had once been jealous of the relationship between the two. But he was more than willing to play the sensitive boyfriend if it might wipe the sad look off of her face.

"Maybe we can go visit him later, when he's feeling better," Arrow made another attempt to cheer up his girlfriend.

Dinah nodded slightly, but didn't move from her position. "I'm sorry, Ollie. I just wish he'd stop taking such dumb risks. He's not as young as he used to be. One of these times he's going to wind up-" She stopped, not wanting to finish her sentence.

Oliver Queen wrapped an arm around his girlfriend. Normally the pair didn't like to get mushy in public, but this was a special circumstance.

'Everything is going to be okay, Dinah," he whispered. She nodded again, but didn't look any happier.

"Hey, guys! What's happening?" Flash asked happily as he set his tray down across from the two lovers, unaware of what he had just interrupted. Arrow groaned quietly, slightly irritated, and removed his arm from around Black Canary's shoulders.

"Man," Flash continued, unaffected. "You guys shoulda seen Bats chewing out the new medic! It was painful. I think he made him cry!"

Arrow coughed pointedly and jerked his head towards his girlfriend, who looked as pitiful as ever.

Flash observed Dinah as if for the first time. "Whoa!" He commented, surprised. "Who died?"

Black Canary made a sound similar to a sob as she pushed herself away from the table and ran towards the door.

"Dinah!" Arrow called, before sighing angrily and turning back towards the Scarlet Speedster who was looking very confused.

"Great going, Wally," Ollie said sarcastically. "Didn't anyone ever tell you to think before shooting your mouth off?"

Without waiting for a reply, the Green Arrow shot up from the table and went off in search of the Black Canary, leaving Flash behind. Arrow knew it wasn't really Flash's fault, but at that point, Wally's feelings were furthest from his mind.

Flash, for his part, couldn't hold back his hurt and bewilderment at his friends' actions. What had he done wrong?

"Nice going, hotshot."

Flash's head jerked up as he found himself face-to-face with Grimm, who was occupying Canary's empty seat, inspecting her nails. He jerked his head around to the rest of the cafeteria, looking to see if any of the others had spotted this girl's appearance. None had.

"I told you, doofus," she commented scathingly. "You're the only one who can see me."

It didn't make sense. Wally had only ever seen her in his room, and then only at night. Now, the dark dame was seated in front of him in the middle of a crowded cafeteria, and no one was the wiser. He had to be losing it!

"You can't do anything right, can you?" Grimm questioned, bringing Flash's mind back to the problem at hand. "Arrow looked pretty mad."

Flash lowered his eyes. "It probably had nothing to do with me," he whispered, not wanting to attract attention to his conversation.

"It had everything to do with you!" Grimm laughed, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Face it, you're just an annoyance to your teammates. All you do is bug them. You're like a child! And they're finally getting sick of babysitting you."

"That's not true!" Flash practically yelled, drawing the eyes and attentions of the other heroes in the crowded room. He could feel his face heating up as Batman raised an observant eyebrow at him.

"Careful, Wally," Grimm patronized. "You wouldn't want them to think you're crazy on top of it all."

Flash pushed away from the table and left the cafeteria, ignoring the concerned looks he was receiving from the rest of the team. Grimm stayed seated alone, looking fairly pleased with herself.

* * *

"So…who broke it off?" Shayera Hol cradled her mug of coffee while trying to avoid the overly green eyes that seemed to pierce into her soul.

John hesitated slightly before replying. "I did. But there are no hard feelings between us." He assured her quickly. The two sat facing each other in one of the more secluded recreation rooms.

Shayera closed her eyes and took a breath. Why was he telling her this? He'd already hurt her once; surely she wasn't going to let him try again. But even as she thought these words, she knew that she'd go to the ends of the earth to win John's love again.

The Marine in question coughed uncomfortably. "Listen, Shayera…"

The Thanagarian raised her own hopeful green eyes in anticipation.

"I was wondering," He continued, color rising to her face in a cute blush.

Shayera leaned forward slightly. "Yes, John?"

"Hey, G.L.! Wanna go catch a flick or something on the surface?" Flash interrupted, having spotted his friend at last following a complete search of the Watchtower.

John groaned slightly. "No." he said a bit too firmly. In an effort to apologize he added, "Not right now, Wally. Okay?"

He was about to continue with his previous conversation when Flash moved even closer to the pair.

"Sure, how about you, Wings?" He asked, turning his attention to Shayera, who gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I said not now, Wally!" John yelled, thoroughly upset at his friend's oblivious interruptions. If he had paid closer attention, he might have seen the crushed look that fleeted across the young speedster's features before immediately being replaced by an apologetic smile.

"Yeah, sorry. I'll just be going." Flash began backing away from his two friends. His eyes flitted to Grimm, who was now standing between his teammates, arms crossed, with a vindictive smile on her face.

Before John or Shayera could say a word, Flash had turned and raced out of the room.

John sighed before turning back to the redheaded beauty before him. Shayera was now sitting with crossed arms, and fixing the Green Lantern with more than a slight glare.

"What?" He asked innocently. When she didn't respond, the Lantern rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Look, I'll make it up to him okay? I'll take him to one of those Monster Truck Rallies he loves so much."

Shayera still didn't look convinced, but Lantern brushed her worries aside with a wave of his hand.

"He'll be fine," John said with conviction, confident in Wally's ability to bounce back almost instantly. It was time to get back to the matter at hand.

* * *

Well, there you have it! This chapter marks the end of the pre-angst stuff. In the next chapter, things start rolling! That means more action, more characters, more Grimm, and more WALLY-ANGST!

For those of you who hate Grimm now, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

Next Chapter: Gotham's favorite vigilante makes an appearance, and Wally takes to the field!

Please REVIEW! They keep me warm at night! lol!

Keep smiling! ;)

rogueandkurt


	5. Aggravation

Okay, just to pre-warn everybody, CLAYFACE is one of my least favourite villains, so if there are any inaccuracies about his powers/weaknesses/attitudes, blame it on my lack of motivation to research him. Same goes for Captain Atom (I'm still upset about the whole CADMUS thing!).

This chapter is one of the few Grimm-free ones. (Sorry, **Gotham's Princess**, you'll have to save the flying monkeys for the next chapter!) It also gives us a look into the Dark Knight's mind! Yay! Lol.

Incidentally, these next three chapters are my favourites in the whole story! So I hope you guys like them too!

Thanks for all of the awesome reviews! I love hearing from readers (good or bad!)

**doc-trigger**: wow. Thanks for the intense response. I know the chapters are short, but I find that it helps build response. Sorry. On the upside, I'll be trying to update even faster if I get a lot of response! This chapter's for you (A little Wally-on-a-mission action!)

**ddeath'sdiary**: thanks for the support! Enjoy your jello:)

**Whatever Star**: hmm. Interestingly twisted idea, but Grimm loathes Wally. Her purpose in life seems to be to hate and destroy him. So, no relationship possibilities. Sorry. Thanks for your input, though!

Please Enjoy, Everyone. And remember to REVIEW! Thanks! ;)

Disclaimer: Nothing has changed since Saturday; I still don't own it. Just Grimm…Sigh…

* * *

CHAPTER FIVE: AGGRAVATION

A few days later, the seven original members found themselves seated in the conference room. While most of them were eager and attentive, their youngest member seemed distracted. A lot of the League's members had noticed a small change in Flash over the past week, and especially the last couple of days. But with all of the chaos of the past month, no one had the time to decipher what was bothering the young speedster.

Today's problem was a jailbreak. Three villains-Cheetah, Clayface and Copperhead-had escaped from their cells, and were now wreaking havoc in downtown Central City. It was more than enough to qualify as a level three mission, which meant it would be lead by a founding member.

Wonder Woman had immediately volunteered for the mission, as had Green Lantern. However, as J'onn pointed out, both had handled a number of assignments recently.

Normally, Flash would have insisted on participating; Central City was his territory after all. But so far, the 'fastest man alive' had also been the quietest.

So J'onn decided to volunteer Flash on his behalf.

"I think Captain Atom, Supergirl and Flash can handle the situation," the Martian offered to the table of heroes. Superman shot J'onn a look, which prompted him to add, "Batman should go along as well. Just in case."

Bruce Wayne did not appreciate being the 'backup' to any team, but a stern look from the Man of Steel got him wise to Superman's way of thinking. Even if babysitting wasn't his style, he had to admit he had his own hesitations about sending Flash on high-priority missions. It would be better if he himself could watch over the situation.

With it all decided, the heroes found themselves looking at Wally, waiting for one of his usual cheesy jokes. However, he gave no sign that he had heard any of the discussion. He seemed captivated by an empty chair in the corner of the room.

John approached his young friend and gripped one of his shoulders.

"Wally?" He called, concern evident in his voice.

Flash stood up suddenly, not facing his teammates.

"Let's get this over with," he said, sounding agitated. He walked out of the room without another word, leaving his friends worried and confused.

Batman followed him silently.

"Bruce?" Diana's voice called after the caped crusader as he approached the door. He stopped.

Wonder Woman hesitated slightly.

"Keep an eye on him," she asked, a hint of pleading in her voice.

Bruce made no reply but to go after his teammate.

* * *

"This is **too** easy!" Supergirl bragged as she landed another punch to Copperhead's face.

"Speak for yourself," called Captain Atom from across the street as he repeatedly tried to hit Cheetah with his blasts. The nimble feline had managed to evade most of his attacks so far, but he wasn't about to quit.

**SLAM**

Flash groaned as his body banged against a nearby building. He and Batman had both been facing off against Clayface, and were in the process of causing thousands of dollars worth of property damage.

The Scarlet Speedster grimaced as he cracked his neck to the side before re-entering the fight. Flash saw his chance, as Clayface was too preoccupied with Batman to notice him.

Racing up to just behind the clay juggernaut, Wally pulled back his right arm and began pulsing it at a super high speed. When there was enough power in his fist, he threw his arm forward, only to feel a horrible pain just below his shoulder.

Flash cried out, grabbing his arm in pain, unable to complete the punch. He could hear Bats calling his name, and he turned back towards his opponent in shock.

Clayface had noticed his presence and taken his momentary distraction as an opportunity to attack the speedster. The clay villain had transformed his hand into a monstrous hammer and was inches away from splattering our hero all over the ground.

Flash hesitated for exactly one eighth of a second before moving at full speed out of range. Still preoccupied with his arm, the hero pulled himself away from the battle, unsure of what exactly was causing his pain.

When Flash turned around again, Captain Atom was standing victorious over both Cheetah and Clayface, having apparently come to Flash's rescue. Supergirl also wore a tremendous smile as she busied herself with the task of restraining Copperhead.

And Batman? Well, Batman was livid.

"What did you think you were doing out there?" He criticized, landing on the ground next to Flash. Batman had a way of yelling at people without even raising his voice. The voice that had turned many a villain into a quivering, cowardly mess was now being turned loose on poor Flash.

"You were inches away from getting yourself killed!" The Dark Knight continued.

Batman was not big on emotions. He saw them as a weakness that could easily be exploited. But that did not, by any means, mean that he himself had no emotions. In fact, he very easily grew attached to things and people. He simply didn't go spreading it around for fear of losing the very thing he cared about.

It was well known that Flash and Batman did not easily get along. They were polar opposites. Flash wore his heart on his sleeve along with a dashing smile and unfailing optimism. People generally liked Flash because he made things easy. He had a childlike innocence and a strict feeling of right and wrong. Bruce knew this was one of the reasons that the Justice Lords had reacted so strongly to his death. Perhaps it was the very reason they had crossed the line into murder. With any luck, they would never know for sure.

One thing Bruce Wayne did know was that losing Wally would be hard. Very hard. Which was precisely why he was so furious. Flash should know by now not to let anything distract him during battle.

Maybe the Boy Scout had been right; maybe Flash wasn't ready to be fighting again yet. Not after they had come so close to losing him just a few short weeks ago.

As it was, Flash stood cowed before Batman. Obviously intimidated by the older man, Wally lowered his eyes as the verbal attack continued. Unconsciously, he nursed his arm, which still ached. He soon realized what he was doing and stopped, but nothing escapes the observant eyes of Batman.

"What are you doing?" The Caped Crusader halted his scolding to question the Speedster's actions.

Flash did his best to appear innocent.

"Nothing," he replied, still not able to look his teammate in the eye. He noticed Captain Atom and Supergirl standing to the side, politely pretending not to listen to their conversation. There was no way Flash was going to start whining about his arm in front of his friends and Batman. It was just the excuse they'd need to prove he was worthless.

Batman glared at him, clearly not believing a word of it. Silently, he grabbed Flash's arm and pressed his hand firmly against Flash's bicep. It would take a keen observer to notice the suppressed grimace that flashed across the younger man's face. And a keen observer Batman was.

Removing his hands, he put his face directly in front of Flash's face, making sure to catch his eyes. He fixed the youngster with a deadly glare.

"Report to the Med Bay the instant we get back," He said in a painfully low, threatening voice. Wally could hardly hold back a gulp as the Dark Knight brushed past him.

* * *

"It's definitely infected," replied one of the medics.

Flash sat on a hospital bed in one of the examination rooms. His uniform had been traded for a hospital gown so that the doctors could inspect his injury. Across from him stood an angry Batman, watching his every move. Wally felt like a mouse just before an owl swallows it up.

The Medics were inspecting the cut on his arm. Flash had explained that he'd received the cut during the fight with Volcana.

"So why didn't you report here to look after it in the first place?" Batman criticized.

"I was taking care of it," Wally defended, wincing as a medic prodded the wound.

"Does it look 'taken care of'?"

Flash glanced sidelong at his arm. It wasn't a pretty sight. There were all sorts of weird colours and textures present, and it had swelled slightly.

Batman, it seemed, wasn't done with his lecture.

"I can't believe you'd do something as senseless and irresponsible as going into a fight injured! You endangered your own life as well as the lives of your teammates."

The doctors and medics did their best to look busy. Everyone knew that it was suicidal to disturb Batman when he was angry.

Flash wished he could crawl into a dark hole and die. He was so busy picturing this image that he almost didn't catch Bats' last words.

"As of right now, you're on one week suspension from the League."

Wally felt the colour drain from his face. "A whole _week_?" He cried, jumping up from the bed, ignoring the protests of the medics who were wrapping his arm.

"You are not to report to the Watchtower for the next seven days," the Dark Knight elaborated, walking past Flash. Stopping just in front of the door he added, "And when you return, I expect this to be taken care of."

Flash tried to follow him, but a male medic held him back.

"We still need a blood sample from you, sir." The medic was not much older than Wally. His ID tag named him as 'Danny'. Wally suspected from his wide-eyed look that Danny was new to the Watchtower.

Rolling his eyes, he sat still while Danny drew his blood. He left the Med Bay annoyed with himself.

"We'll have those tests to you in a few hours," Danny the medic called after him. He began cleaning Wally's area.

Suddenly the chief doctor for the shift was on the overhead speaker. "Attention all medical staff, there are incoming critical cases. ETA is ten minutes. All staff are to report to landing bay 5 immediately."

In the chaos that ensued, Danny barely had enough time to put Wally's blood sample and chart on a nearby desk. He rushed from the Med Bay, eager to help in any way he could.

And just like that, Wally West's blood test was all but forgotten.

* * *

Well, that was chapter five! Showing Wally's quick descent into _madness_. MADNESS! …Ahem. Let me know what you think!

I expect the next chapter to upset a few people, but I'd like to hear from you guys about this one. If I get a lot of reviews, I'll probably have chapter six up by Wednesday morning.

Please review! Bye for now!

Keep Smiling! ;)

rogueandkurt


	6. Damnation

Alright, this chapter was originally supposed to be posted on Wednesday morning. However, since one of my best reviewers, **doc-trigger**, said they would have problems reading more of this story after today, I am updating early.

Because of the early update, I wont be updating again for a couple of days. Sorry.

I expect some mixed feelings on this chapter, but I felt it very necessary. Please don't hurt me, just send evil reviews about Grimm!

In this chapter, you will finally learn some of Grimm's origin (although many of you have already guessed it to some extent!)

This chapter is probably full of medical inaccuracies, so my apologies in advance! Please remember to REVIEW! Enjoy!

**DianaRulz**: Thanks for the review. And Bats only yells because he cares. The poor socially awkward guy!

**doc-trigger**: are you appeased? After reading this chapter's ending, you might not be very happy about the early update! Thanks for the hilarious review! ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Justice League or the song 'It's Raining, It's Pouring'. Only Grimm.

* * *

CHAPTER SIX: DAMNATION 

Diana leaned forward in interest, being careful not to spill her soda. "Are the two of you going out now?" She said in a voice just above a whisper.

Shayera blushed lightly and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"We're taking things slow," she admitted. "Neither of us wants to ruin things this time around."

The two sat across from each other in one of the Tower's many lounges. Diana and Shayera were not the best of friends, but enjoyed sharing the occasional gossip, especially when it dealt with one of their friends.

It had been three days since Wally's suspension. There had been a lot of tension in the Watchtower, especially when Superman found out about it. He and Batman had bickered for a good half hour before Clark finally 'let him off' with a warning. Nothing else had been said about the speedster's absence.

Shayera skilfully switched topics. "What about you? Any luck with Gotham's favourite vigilante?"

Diana rolled her eyes.

"I think he's interested," the Amazon sighed. "But he's never going to do anything about it."

"You're an Amazon warrior, Princess," her teammate urged. "Why don't _you_ do something about it?"

Diana made to reply when suddenly both heroes heard J'onn's voice in their heads.

"Diana, Shayera," J'onn Jonzz called telepathically. "Report to the conference room immediately."

Both girls frowned at his curtness, but obeyed. The Martian had sounded worried, and that was never a good thing.

* * *

"What did I tell you? You can't do anything right!" Grimm viciously criticized. 

Wally West groaned and hid his head in his hands. He sat on the couch of his small Central City apartment in his civilian clothes. Grimm was seated on the kitchen counter behind him.

The past three days had been torture. Wally had barely slept a wink. How _could_ he when Grimm was there? She was everywhere, every hour of every day, talking and teasing him. She was in his dreams, showing him the worst moments of his life. And whenever he opened his eyes, Grimm was there, watching.

She constantly reminded him of every mistake he'd ever made. Every conversation he'd ever had with his friends was thrown back at him now with a new and terrible meaning. She hated him, loathed him, despised him and so did everyone else. She was doing him a favour by telling him all of this.

"You know, they're up there right now, laughing at you," the dark girl continued, eyes boring into the back of Wally's head. She brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "They're thinking how they're better off without you. Most of them have already forgotten about you."

Wally massaged his forehead to ease his oncoming headache. She just never stopped. How did you escape from the thoughts inside your head?

Wally remembered Bruce once talking about the fight they'd had with Dr. Destiny. He said that he'd managed to keep Dr. Destiny from using his thoughts against him simply by singing a song and concentrating on it fully.

Grimm, reading his thoughts, narrowed her eyes. "You think you can just ignore me? I'm not going anywhere," she threatened.

He wondered if it would work in this case. He'd never been very good at this sort of thing.

She laughed. "You're dumber than I thought. You can't ignore the truth."

**Think, Wally**, he urged himself. **Sing something**.His mind wandered until he found himself singing a song from his childhood.

_It's raining._

_It's pouring._

_The old man is snoring._

"I'm not going anywhere," Grimm repeated, eyes dangerous.

**Just concentrate, Wally! **He tucked his knees close to his chest and shut his eyes.

_He went to bed and bumped his head,_

_And couldn't wake up in the morning._

_It's raining,_

_It's pouring…_

* * *

"So what's the big emergency?" Superman asked. 

J'onn had called all six active founding members to a meeting. He was standing in front of the giant control monitors while the other five were seated across from him.

"Yeah, you made it sound pretty important," commented Green Lantern. He leaned back in his chair.

J'onn looked grim. Of course, since he wasn't big on personality, this wasn't a really dramatic change.

"I'm afraid it is serious," He admitted. Turning towards the monitors, he tapped some keys. All sorts of medical information popped up on the screen. "It concerns Flash."

Suddenly, all eyes were on the Martian.

"As you know," J'onn began. "Flash set off a booby-trap during his fight with Volcana. He received a cut from an arrow, which became infected."

Most of the Leaguers nodded.

"We ran some tests on his blood and found something rather unusual," he went on. "There is a foreign substance loose in Flash's bloodstream."

"Poison?" Shayera asked concernedly.

J'onn shook his head. "Not exactly. I did some research on the temple where they fought. The substance causes the victim to have vivid hallucinations almost immediately upon exposure. The images, combined with unbalanced chemical reactions in the brain, can drive the victim to madness within 24 hours. I believe the arrows were tipped with the substance as a precaution."

"If the arrows don't get you, the drug will," remarked Lantern.

J'onn nodded in affirmation before continuing. "There is more. The hallucinations become more vivid with time. Most victims die within 72 hours of exposure. The drug possesses them so strongly that either their brain shuts down entirely or the victims themselves end their suffering."

There was shock as J'onn's words set in.

"I don't understand," Wonder Woman spoke aloud. "You said it usually kills within three days. It's been over a week."

The Martian shrugged, a human habit that he'd picked up. "That I cannot fully explain. Perhaps it is because the arrow only grazed Flash instead of sticking him. It may also have something to do with his body's unique metabolism and immune system. Or perhaps the drug lost some of its potency over time."

"What about a cure?" Superman wondered. J'onn shook his head.

"There is no known cure," he replied.

"That just means we'll have to find one," Batman spoke with conviction.

John Stewart stood up from the table. "In any case, we need to find Wally and bring him back here before he gets any worse."

* * *

Wally sat on the roof of his apartment. He did his best thinking up here. Not that his best thinking ever expanded any horizons, but he didn't see any harm in it. It wasn't very late, only 9:00 pm, but already the moon was shining brightly overhead. 

He'd changed into his Flash costume. It always made him feel stronger, more in control of things. He felt like he was a part of something bigger than himself. It also connected him with his Uncle Barry. Barry was the original Flash.

**The better Flash**, he thought glumly. Barry would never have screwed everything up like this.

"You're right-he wouldn't have," Grimm announced, listening to his thoughts again. She was balanced precariously on the ledge of the roof, with one leg dangling over the side. "He's lucky he's dead. He doesn't have to see what a wretched waste you've become."

Wally sighed. It all sounded so true. So far, everything she'd said had been right. His friends weren't really his friends after all. He'd just been too dumb to realize it.

"Would real friends abandon you like this?" Grimm smiled at his sorry state. "They've been looking for a reason to drop you ever since you joined. You have no one."

Maybe she was right. Maybe he should just stop wasting everyone's time.

"Of course I'm right," she agreed maliciously. "They'd all be better off if you weren't around. Why not just get it over with?"

Wally felt as if something had taken a hold of him. He calmly stood and walked towards the edge of the roof.

Grimm continued to urge him on. "You'd be doing everyone a favour. No one wants you around."

He had reached the edge. He stepped up onto the ledge next to Grimm and looked down at the fourteen-story drop.

"They wont even miss you when you're gone." Grimm taunted.

He had made his decision.

Wally West closed his eyes and spread his arms to the side.

And with one last breath,

He jumped.

* * *

keep smiling ;) 

rogueandkurt


	7. Salvation

Hmm… Interesting response to the evil cliff-hanger. I really enjoyed the reviews!

Thanks for all of the response, especially from the first-time reviewers! It really means a lot!

Just to make one point clear: I do not hate Wally in any way, shape or form. He is by far my favourite character in 'Justice League', and this story was written in response to the distinct lack of Wally storylines. I don't hate him. That aside, it was a lot of fun seeing Grimm torture him, don't you agree?

The last four lines of chapter six were the first ones I wrote in this ficlet. So you can imagine my delight in finally seeing it on here. As for Wally's fate, well you'll just have to read on, won't you?

BWAHAHAHA!

By the way, **Gotham's Princess**: feel free to release the flying monkeys at any time.

Disclaimer: As depressing as it sounds, Grimm is my sole creation.

* * *

CHAPTER SEVEN: SALVATION 

The Leaguers teleported into an alleyway near Wally's Central City apartment. Peeking her head around the corner of the alleyway entrance, Wonder Woman signalled that there was no one around, and the team headed out.

There had been much debate about a proper course of action. They had tried calling Wally's phone, but found out it had been disconnected. Lantern had wanted to leave immediately to find his friend, Batman had argued that sending all six of them to his apartment was unnecessary. However, none of them were willing to stay behind.

Some argument later, all six of them found themselves standing outside of Wally's apartment, looking fairly conspicuous. They had all agreed that discretion was very important. They could not afford for people to start questioning why the original league was checking up on someone as insignificant as Wally West. However, there were no two ways around it; most of the League's identities weren't secret, and if they showed up sans costume, Batman, Superman and Flash's covers would probably be blown.

Together, they walked up all six flights of stairs to their friend's apartment. Superman might have commented that Flash living in a building with no elevator was slightly poetic if things hadn't been quite so serious. But truthfully, they were all on edge. None of the heroes knew what state they would find their youngest teammate in.

Wally's apartment was at the end of a long hall. Batman, who was at the head of the pack, noticed that the door was open a crack. He knew something was wrong immediately. Wally, who had once been the victim of home invasion at his first apartment, never left the door open or even unlocked.

Bursting into the apartment, the Leaguers spread out and searched for signs of Flash. Shayera hung back, inspecting the hallway.

"Are you looking for someone, dear?"

The heroine whipped around at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. She spotted the assailant-a suspicious elderly woman- peering through the crack of her door. She relaxed, and took a step towards Flash's neighbour.

"Yes," she replied, trying to look friendly. The woman appeared not to recognize her as a member of the Justice League, and was eyeing the Thanagarian with suspicion. "We're looking for the man who lives here-Wally West."

The woman unlatched her door and stepped out into the hallway, still wary of Shayera. "Is he in some kind of trouble?"

Shayera shook her head. "We think he may have information regarding a case we're working on," She lied expertly. "We just want to talk to him."

Her lie appeared to work. The elderly woman smiled at Shayera.

"I didn't think he could be in trouble. Such a nice boy, that Wally." She gave the appearance of a grandmother speaking fondly of her grandson's accomplishments. "He feeds my fish for me sometimes."

Shayera sighed inwardly. This was getting her nowhere. Wonder Woman appeared from inside the apartment.

"He's not in there," she informed her winged teammate.

The old woman smiled knowingly. "If he's not in his apartment, he's probably on the roof," she offered. "That's where he likes to think, you know."

Diana and Shayera exchanged looks. The Amazon ran back inside to inform the team, who immediately followed her into the hallway.

The elderly neighbour pointed to the stairs they had taken to get here. "Those lead all the way up to the roof. The door should be unlocked."

Superman graciously thanked her for her help, before leading the troops back to the other end of the hall. Shayera stayed back long enough to hear the older woman call her.

"You be sure to look after him," the neighbour requested, before turning back towards her own apartment. "Such a nice boy, that Wally."

Shayera smiled sadly, turning to follow her team. **Hang on, Wally**, she thought anxiously. **We're coming**.

* * *

Their pace quickened as they reached the stairs. By the time they hit the tenth floor, the heroes were almost at a run. 

**Just four more flights**, John thought. **Almost there.**

They rounded the stair on the fourteenth floor. The roof door was in sight. Batman led them up the final flight of stairs and kicked the door open.

The six heroes burst onto the rooftop just in time to see a flash of red fall off the ledge and out of sight.

"Wally!"

"NO!"

Someone screamed.

They raced to the edge of the roof, Superman and Shayera both hopping the ledge and flying after the falling body of their friend.

* * *

Wally barely registered the arm around his chest, but he felt himself slowing down. He had been so close. Just two more floors and he would have been free. 

He wasn't falling anymore. He was flying upwards. He could hear someone talking, but he didn't know what they were saying.

Wally was lying down now. There were more voices. Someone was calling his name. He felt himself falling away. The last thing he heard was Grimm screaming somewhere in his mind. Then it all went black.

* * *

"Is he going to be alright?" John Stewart peered through the glass at his young friend. They had transferred Wally immediately to the Med Bay upon their return. He had yet to regain consciousness. 

Superman sighed. He had been briefed by the medical staff and promptly told to stay out of Flash's room. **Let them do their jobs**. It was a harder concept to grasp when you were so used to fixing everybody's problems. He could tell the rest of his team felt the same way.

"He will be once I find the cure," Batman answered Lantern's query. As usual, his voice betrayed no hint of doubt or worry. He would find the cure. Wally would be perfectly fine. It was just a matter of how long it would take him.

J'onn added, "The drug spread considerably throughout his body during his leave of absence. He also hasn't eaten recently. His metabolism is off its schedule, which is damaging his body. He is hooked up to an IV Unit now."

Lantern nodded his understanding.

Batman took one last look at the young speedster lying helpless in the hospital bed. He then turned, cape flying, and headed for the door.

"I'll be in my cave," he informed the rest of them, not bothering to stop. "Keep me updated."

And then he was gone.

Clark surveyed his teammates. "While he's working on that," he started. "The rest of us should steer clear and let the medics do their jobs."

John shook his head. "I'm not leaving," he stated firmly, looking his leader and friend straight in the eye.

"Neither am I," Shayera turned from the window to face the Man of Steel. There was a fierce look in her eyes.

"I'm worried about him too," Superman sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "But we have an operation to run. There are people counting on us. Besides, we don't want this to be given any more attention than it has to."

They had automatically agreed to keep Wally's problem between the seven of them. For obvious reasons, it wasn't a good idea to go spreading around that your team was emotionally distraught. After all, many villains would see it as an opportunity to attack them while they were distracted.

But they were also concerned about the other members of the League. Wally had been brought in quietly and given a private room. The medics were instructed to use the utmost discretion. They could not afford to have too many of their teammates agitated, and that is precisely what would happen. Many viewed Wally as annoying, but he had made an effort to befriend every one of their new members to some degree. News of his condition would only divert their attention from protecting the world.

Of course, the main reason for the secrecy was far less glamorous. Plainly, they all knew that Flash was often regarded as 'the weak one'. The idea that something as silly as a rusted arrow had managed to put his life in danger wouldn't help counteract this idea. And the more people told Flash he wasn't good enough, the more he felt the need to prove himself. This usually consisted of him doing something dangerous and stupid.

When this was all over, they had to be sure he wouldn't risk his neck recklessly trying to make up for it. Twice in a month he had cheated death, but his luck was bound to run out eventually.

* * *

DUN DUN DUNNNN! Foreshadowing? That's for me to know, and you to find out! 

You guys know I couldn't let Wally off that easily! Grimm and I have more in store for our favourite speedster…

Although, you have no idea how much I wanted to start this chapter like so:

"The sight of Flash's mangled corpse was one that would haunt the Leaguers for many nights. Lantern stared hollowly at the body of his young friend, still unable to move from the shock.

'If only we'd gotten here a few minutes earlier,' Shayera whispered.

Batman looked at the tiny vial in his hand, which contained the cure he had so easily found. The green liquid inside seemed to taunt him. He threw it on the sidewalk in disgust. It was of no use to anyone now.

Wally West was dead."

Just a look at how things could have been! Lucky for you guys, Wally's not going out like that! Dun dun DUNNNN!

Tell me what you thought! Again, I really enjoyed last chapter's reviews!

Please Review!

Keep Smiling! ;)

rogueandkurt


	8. Laceration

Hey, I'm back!

Thanks for the response last chapter. I appreciate the support!

Apparently, there's some new rule at that writers aren't allowed to respond to reviews in their fics. I'm torn between my indignation and my desire to post the rest of this story in peace. As such, I'm sorry but for this time, I can't respond to your questions and comments as much as I want to.

If you guys want me to respond to something, please feel free to email me at . And please sign the petition floating around against this change. Thanks! Hopefully this little setback won't be permanent.

But I hope that 'Not-So-Happy' enjoys this not-so-short chapter lawsuit free!

Disclaimer: I own Grimm. That's it.

* * *

CHAPTER EIGHT: LACERATION

Wally West didn't like hospitals. The antiseptic smell, the crummy beds, and the doctors who never told you anything made hospitals into the kind of place he could do without. And Grimm's presence wasn't making it any sweeter.

"So close. So freaking close!" The girl in question ranted as she paced back and forth in front of Wally's bed.

He had woken up some ten minutes earlier to the sight of a sickly white Med Bay room, having no idea how he'd gotten there. Half an anxiety attack later, he remembered his fall through the air, and pieced together the events. He was now in the process of nursing another pounding headache.

Someone had closed the blinds on the window to the hallway, leaving him completely alone. Except, of course, for Grimm.

"Can't you do anything right?" She continued, not giving him a minute's peace. "The easiest thing in the world, and you still managed to screw it up!"

Wally had had about enough. He turned his head to the side, not willing to look at her. "You were wrong," he said quietly.

She froze. Slowly, she turned to him, an unbelieving look in her cold grey eyes. "What did you say?"

"You were wrong," he repeated a bit stronger. "They do care. They saved my life."

She laughed derisively, moving closer to him and putting her hand on one of her hips.

"Of course they did," she replied mockingly. "How would they look if one of their members jumped off a building? They'd be a laughingstock! Especially if they _let_ you do it, as much as they want to."

Wally frowned. Again, her words didn't make sense. She had said it'd be better for them if he jumped, hadn't she? How could making them look bad be better for them?

"I shouldn't be surprised," she skilfully interrupted his thoughts. "Why did I think you could do anything for yourself? Now you've gone and made more trouble for them. They have to deal with you. Poor, pathetic Wally."

"Shut up!" He said loudly, trying again to block her out.

"Make me," Grimm dared, crossing her arms. "I'm a part of you. You can't deny the truth."

He raised his head and looked her squarely in the eyes. "That's right. You're a part of me. Which means, I can control you. All I have to do is will you back to wherever you came from."

Grimm's smile was gone. "Yeah, right. You're stuck with me."

Wally sat up in his bed, shutting his eyes tightly.

He could still hear her voice. "It's a waste of time. You're hopeless."

He concentrated as hard as he could to block her out. He knew he could do it. He was still in charge of his own mind, after all.

Suddenly, she'd stopped. Wally opened his eyes in surprise and looked to his side. She was gone! He'd done it.

"I bet you thought that was going to work."

Flash froze. He felt his very soul tighten as he turned to the left side of his bed. Grimm sat triumphantly on his bedside table, grinning maliciously at him.

"You couldn't get rid of me if you tried. You're stuck with me for good." Her grin grew with each word. She was clearly enjoying the effect she was having on him.

Wally's head hit the pillow hard. He closed his eyes in defeat. There was no beating her. No beating the truth.

"You really shouldn't doubt me, you know," she remarked, eying his motionless state. "Have I ever been wrong? No. I'm all you have. Or haven't you noticed the lack of visitors? Even the medics won't be bothered with you. You've been conscious for fifteen minutes, and you've yet to see a single person. Really shows you how much they care."

Wally made no argument, so she continued.

"Have you noticed your surroundings? They put you in a private room. Even the other patients don't want to look at you. I bet you could go the rest of the night without seeing anyone."

Wally inhaled sharply. What was she suggesting?

Grimm slid off the nightstand. She eyed the lone cart that was covered in sterilized medical tools next to his bed.

"They don't give a damn about you." Her back was to him. "There's only one way to fix this. You know what you have to do."

Wally opened his eyes and slowly sat up again. He turned to look at her.

"There's one sure way to end the pain you've caused," Grimm's words had gotten quieter, but her message was clear. She turned around, her eyes still on the cart.

Wally felt unbelievable calm overwhelm him. His hand reached across to the cart, fingers steadily wrapping themselves around the cold, metal scalpel. Bringing his arm back, he stared at the instrument in his hand.

"You know it's the only way," Grimm whispered. Her grey eyes focused on the instrument as well.

Wally barely winced as he drew the blade across his exposed wrist. He was immediately rewarded by the flow of blood that erupted from the cut. Carefully repeating his actions on the other wrist, Wally laid his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes. Now, he could only wait…

* * *

The Green Lantern gripped the coffee cups in his hands tightly. Spotting Shayera alone at the window, he walked across the room and stood beside her.

Superman had finally relented to some degree, allowing John, Shayera and Diana to wait in the medical lounge for updates on Wally's condition. With the agreement that they would steer clear of Wally's room until further notice, Clark promised to join them as soon as he and J'onn finished checking the status of the rest of the League.

Diana had sat for exactly five minutes before declaring she needed some air. She was currently wandering the medical hallways; careful to avoid the one room she longed to be in.

John handed Shayera her coffee. She rested the cup on the sill of the window, staring out into the vast space before them. John watched her from the corner of his eye. She shivered slightly, but he doubted it had anything to do with the temperature in the room.

"He'll be fine, Shay," John assured her, not sure he believed it himself. This was a fine mess Wally had put himself in.

"We should have known," the redhead murmured quietly to herself.

John could find no argument. They had all been too preoccupied with other things to figure out why Wally was acting so strange. He himself was the most guilty-Wally had tried to talk to him twice since the incident, but he had blown him off both times. He knew how much Wally looked up to him and cared about their friendship, but he had let his own problems keep him from seeing how much Wally needed him.

Shayera blinked away tears from her eyes as her mind relived the scene on the roof. Her heart had nearly stopped when she realized what he'd done. Another moment's hesitation from any of them and Wally would have succeeded in his terrible deed. It was hard not to be reminded of the incident over three weeks ago.

When he disappeared after beating Brainiac, they had all thought the worst. Finding him again had been one of the happiest moments she could remember. But then he had told her that the 'speed force' was calling him, and he had to go with it. Terrified, she grabbed hold of him and together they had pulled him free. Even after he promised never to go that fast again, she was still filled with worry.

He hadn't even put up a fight. He just accepted what the rest of them could not. He had been willing to throw away his young life.

And tonight, he had done it again. She hated to consider what terrible thoughts and visions had convinced him to jump off that roof. But she knew they were bad; they had to be. What else could wipe that never-failing smile off Wally's face?

They had worked so hard to save him, and now they were losing him again. Maybe it was inevitable; maybe he was meant to die and they were just postponing fate.

A tear she couldn't stop rolled down her cheek. John hesitated before wrapping an arm around her shoulders, half expecting her to shrug him off. Instead, she leaned into it and hugged him, still crying softly.

"What if we can't fix this, John?" She whispered softly into his chest. "What if we lose him?"

John closed his eyes, not wanting to think about it. "He's strong, Shay. Just you wait; Batman will have a cure for him in no time."

They both turned at the sound of yelling from the hallway. The heroes ran to the door, which opened upon their approach. In the hall, medics were rushing past in a frantic hurry. To Shayera and John's horror, they were headed straight for Flash's room.

They barely hesitated before racing down the corridor after the medical staff. Bursting into Wally's room, the heroes were shocked at the sight before them.

There was blood everywhere; Wally's bed sheets and hospital gown were soaked in the crimson liquid. Medics anxiously rushed about the room, grabbing supplies and trying desperately to stop the bleeding. Machines beeped hysterically as they worked.

A lone medic spotted the pair by the door, and began pushing them out hurriedly.

"You can't be in here right now," She looked thoroughly harassed, and refused to listen to their protests. She finally succeeded in removing them and closed the door in John's face.

The last image they were left with was that of Wally, covered in his own blood, a satisfied smile on his face.

* * *

What a fun chapter, huh? Sorry about the imagery. Hope I didn't offend anyone.

Keep Smiling! ;)

rogueandkurt


	9. Exasperation

Well, I'm back again with another chapter of angsty goodness. This is a relatively unique chapter because both Wally and Grimm are not featured! Imagine that! Instead, we take a look into the minds of the other Leaguers.

The medical inaccuracies continue throughout this chapter and for the remainder of the fic. I sincerely apologize, and I hope you all take comfort in the fact that I have no ambitions to work in healthcare.

Thanks for all of the reviews for the last chapter! And a fun hello to Vile and Not-So-Happy! Grimm hates you all! Lol!

And a special thank you to 'The Wally West Club's' manager **Hersenschim** for adding _'Grimm'_ to the C2! I'm so honored! And to everyone else: check out that C2! There are some awesome Wally stories on there :)

Well, now that I'm done with the shameless plugging, on with the fic!

Disclaimer: Still nada. Which, I'm told, means nothing.

* * *

CHAPTER NINE: EXASPERATION

"How could this have happened?" Superman glared at the near-quivering doctor before him. Superman usually managed to keep his temper in check. When your nickname was 'The Man of Steel', it wasn't a smart idea to go around throwing hissy fits. However, this time he felt it well deserved.

It seemed that the medical staff had had some sort of scheduling mix-up. That, combined with a considerable workload and excess of coffee breaks, had resulted in Flash being left unchecked. Danny, the medic who felt responsible for the whole mess, had been assigned to graveyard shift. Luckily, he had come in early out of guilt and alerted the rest of the staff to Flash's condition before any permanent damage could be done.

Flash had bled away nearly four pints of blood, and Superman could not have been angrier. After being told to stay away by the medics, the medics themselves had neglected their duties. It had taken all of his efforts to keep Shayera and John from extracting their own punishments on the doctors. Clark was now in the process of throwing a lecture that Batman would have been proud of.

"He could have died!" He raged, pointing towards Wally's room. "Another couple of minutes, and he probably would have!"

Seeing the chief doctor cringe at his words, Superman did his best to compose himself.

"As soon as he's better, there's going to be an inquiry into this," he promised, looking the doctor straight in the eye. "You're lucky I don't fire you all right now. From now on, I want twenty-four hour supervision in that room. He's not to be left alone again, understand?"

Upon receiving a nod from the doctor, he stormed out of the room intent on finding a place to cool down.

* * *

J'onn peered through the window into Wally's room. Although he and Wally had never exactly been close, he felt a strange pain in his chest whenever his eyes fell upon the young speedster. Wally's skin was now pale and sickly in contrast with his strawberry-coloured hair. His normally smiling and youthful face was thin, and his eyes were sunken. It didn't take a psychic to see the torture that the hero was experiencing.

The Martian often didn't know what to make of Flash. When the League had first formed, he had been reluctant to allow someone so young and obviously inexperienced into such dangerous situations. He found Flash's actions both immature and annoying, and had many times accused the boy of not taking things seriously enough.

However, as the years went by J'onn had come to appreciate the speedster's presence. No matter how dark the situation, Flash remained optimistic. He was always willing to cheer his teammates up with a joke or one-liner. You could always trust Flash to tell you the truth, no matter how blunt. His specialty was moral dilemmas. Wally's childlike innocence allowed him to see things rather clearly. J'onn had no doubt that he had always been the moral compass of the team.

But it was more than how much the League needed Wally. They did. It was how much Wally needed the League. From the little J'onn knew about his past, it was clear that Flash hadn't had much of a home growing up. It was apparent to most that Flash regarded the League as his family. He was always encouraging outings together with John and Shayera. He teased Diana and admired Clark. And J'onn himself had engaged in many a game of Brawlin'-Bots.

Now, because of a series of horrible coincidences, Wally lay dying in a cold hospital room. J'onn was more than certain, from Wally's actions, that the scarlet speedster had lost his faith in his friends. And that thought was terribly depressing, no matter what species you were. A part of the League was dying in that bed. And he was irreplaceable.

J'onn heard Diana approach, but made no motion to greet her. He simply continued his vigil of Wally's hospital room.

"How is he doing?" The Princess' voice lacked its usual confidence and bravado.

J'onn refused to look at her, even as she came to stand beside him. "Not well, unfortunately."

Wonder Woman had a disapproving look on her beautiful face. "Are those really necessary?"

J'onn followed her eyes inside the room to the metal restraints around Wally's forearms and legs.

"Regrettably, yes." Came the reply. "We cannot allow him the opportunity to hurt himself again. His last attempt nearly succeeded."

Diana cringed at the mention of the incident. The very idea that Wally of all people could attempt something so horrible was unbearable. She didn't want to consider what would happen if Bruce didn't manage to find a cure.

"I contacted Batman earlier to inform him about the occurrence," J'onn commented, sensing her thoughts. "He assured me that his research into a cure is progressing."

The Amazon smiled wistfully. She knew the Dark Knight was nothing if not confident in his own abilities. In his own mind, he had already accepted that he'd find a cure and would not rest until Wally was better. He could deny any attachment to the young speedster, but nothing could ever stop him from fulfilling his responsibilities.

Inside the room, Wally's eyes scrunched up and he tossed his head to the side. Wonder Woman felt a pang of sympathy as she lifted her hand to rest on the glass separating them from him.

**Please, Hera**, she prayed. **Help him**.

* * *

Bruce Wayne looked into his microscope and resisted the urge to smash something.

"Another dead end!" He muttered angrily to himself.

Frustrated, he threw the sample away, confident that Alfred would find it and clean it up later. Sighing, he returned to his computer console and typed in his new information. He had to start all over again.

Finding a cure was proving far more difficult than he could have imagined. The hallucinogen's properties were highly complex, even for a brain like his. But he also had to account for Flash's unique immune system and metabolism, which brought him an entirely new range of problems. It wasn't that Batman didn't enjoy a challenge; he simply preferred not to have one of his teammate's lives on the line.

Hearing that Wally had attempted to take his life again in the hospital room didn't help the situation much. He had nearly destroyed his computer when J'onn informed him that the doctors had left Flash unchecked for so long. He resolved to fire the entire medical staff as soon as this mess was cleared up. There was no room for mistakes, especially when Wayne money was footing the League's bills.

Researching a new cure, Batman tried not to let his mind wander to his young teammate, but the urge was too strong. After reading the information he had gathered on the drug, he could only imagine what kinds of hellish torture Wally was enduring. What irked him most was that Flash had been experiencing the effects for well over a week, and hadn't bothered to mention it to any of them.

**The cafeteria incident should have tipped me off**, Bruce silently berated himself. Truthfully, he had been concerned when Wally, sitting at an empty table, had yelled for no reason. He had intended to speak to Superman about it, but other matters had come up.

He briefly wondered what the hallucinations were in Wally's case. His research showed no pattern in the drug's previous victims, except that nearly all of them were driven insane. Was it something strange, like rabid, purple bunnies? Or was it more realistic? In Bruce's opinion, it was far more horrible to not be able to distinguish between hallucination and reality.

The image of Wally lying dead in a hospital bed woke him from his thoughts. Bruce shook his head. There was no point thinking about it, not when there were more important things to do. If Wally was to have any sort of a chance, he needed to find the cure. And fast.

* * *

Okay, apologies all around for the shortness of the chapter, as well as the lack of Wally. This was more of a transition chapter. Rest assured that the next chapter will not only be longer, but will also have a fresh dose of Wally-Angst!

Please review! TTFN!

Keep Smiling! ;)

rogueandkurt


	10. Incarceration

Hey again! Sorry for the delay, but I took an unexpected road trip.

Well, as promised, here is the next chapter of 'Grimm', complete with the title character and a fresh load of angst! I know there wasn't very much angst last chapter, but the next chapters will hopefully make up for it!

This chapter is dedicated to **DianaRulz**, **lins**, and **sokerfreek922** for their awesome reviews that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! Thanks guys! (BTW-That's technically not a response! So there! ;p )

And a fun hello to **doc-trigger**!

And now, on with the show!

Disclaimer: No poseo la liga de la justicia o cualquiera de sus caracteres. I posee solamente Grimm y este diagrama. (I also don't own a good translator!)

* * *

CHAPTER TEN: INCARCERATION 

John sat next to Wally's bed. He had finally been permitted to enter the room after the medics declared his friend's condition to be stable. Said medics had left the two friends in privacy, after making the Lantern promise to call them immediately if anything happened.

He stifled a yawn, possessing no intention of sleeping despite the early hour. Having had no sleep in the past twenty-four hours, he had deliberately found an uncomfortable chair in order to keep himself from nodding off.

The linens on Wally's bed had been changed, as had his hospital gown. But it could not erase the bloodstained image from Lantern's memory. It was an image he was sure would haunt him for many nights to come.

As it was, he could not bring himself to look at the bandages around Wally's wrists. These too had been recently changed, the others being too blood-soaked to be of any use.

The sight of the restraints had nearly sent him over the edge when he first entered the room. However, he couldn't deny that Wally posed a considerable threat to himself now. It took all of his reasoning to assure himself that it was merely the drug's fault. Wally would never have done anything like that on his own.

Flash was currently in and out of consciousness. He didn't seem to be aware of his surroundings anymore. He muttered and thrashed about, as if fighting off an invisible foe. It made John's heart ache to watch. He wanted so desperately to help his friend, but there was nothing he could do. He was not a doctor or a scientist. All he could do was sit and watch as his best friend deteriorated before his eyes.

Wally seemed to be unconscious again. But his imaginary threat refused to let him be. He pulled at his restraints, jerking his head back.

"John," the young hero muttered.

Lantern stood immediately and leaned over his friend. Being careful of his injury, the marine gripped Wally's hand.

"I'm here, Wally," he soothed. "I'm not going anywhere."

Flash whimpered slightly.

"It's going to be okay," Lantern assured him, tightening his grasp on Wally's hand. "I promise."

The younger hero twitched. He whispered so quietly, John had to strain to hear him.

"…Why? How...I trusted you…"

Suddenly the younger hero tensed up.

"NO!" He yelled so loudly that John jumped back out of surprise.

Wally began pulling against his restraints harder than before. He was shaking uncontrollably now. A loud beeping noise brought John's attention to the heart monitor at Wally's bedside. His heart rate was increasing with each second.

"Wally!" John held his friend down by the shoulders. "Wally, listen to me! You've got to calm down!"

Flash jerked under his friend's grip.

"Listen to me, Wally!" John desperately cried. "It's not real! None of it's real! You've got to calm down!"

Wally's movements slowed. The beeping decreased slightly.

John laughed in relief. "That's it, Wally. Just calm down. I'm here with you, pal."

The beeping slowed back to an ordinary pace, Wally's breathing returning to normal.

Once the younger man had ceased moving, John sat down hard in his chair. He put his head in his hands and sighed deeply.

He couldn't bear the thought of losing his best friend, especially in such a terrible way. He prayed that Batman found the cure soon; he couldn't stand this much longer.

John knew that people who believed that Batman was the most secretive of the original seven were definitely mistaken. As much as Wally relied on the League, there were things he felt he had to deal with on his own, no matter how much his friends wanted to help him. Whenever people touched on Wally's personal life or past, he would skillfully change subjects or make a wisecrack. It wasn't until the conversation was over that you realized he'd shared nothing about himself with you.

Once again, John found himself on the sidelines, watching his friend battle his own brand of demons. Although his thirst to prove himself was often a quality Lantern admired in Wally, it often left Flash reluctant to ask for help, even when he needed it.

It was that same stubbornness that had left the young speedster lying in a hospital bed, teetering near death. And John knew that even if Wally had wanted to ask for help, they were far past the stage where Lantern could be of any use to his friend. It was simply too late. But that didn't stop him from wanting to try.

"What's happening to you, Wally?" He asked out loud, knowing he wouldn't be answered. "What are you seeing?"

* * *

No one got much sleep that night. Green Lantern stayed watch by Flash's bedside well into the following morning, periodically joined by Shayera with cups of coffee for the two of them. 

It was almost noon when Superman and J'onn finally kicked the two of them out of the room, insisting they try to get some rest, and promising to stay with Wally while they were gone. Diana had graciously volunteered to take over J'onn's monitoring duties, desperate for something to occupy her time.

Superman occupied John's vacant chair while the Martian, preferring to stand, stood watch from the corner of the room.

Wally's breathing was shallow and raspy.

"He's been sleeping for a long time," Superman commented, not sure if this was a good thing or not.

"The drug is reaching its end-stage," J'onn offered helpfully. "He will not wake up. His brain can no longer distinguish between hallucination and reality. It will begin to accept only the illusions as truth. He will believe that whatever is happening in his mind is actually happening."

"What does that mean?" Superman preferred to be well informed in situations such as these.

The Martian answered, "The drug will begin to shut down his body's functions one by one. He will become feverish. Eventually, the drug will shut down his mind completely."

Superman didn't need any more explanation than that.

He sighed. "How could we let this happen, J'onn? We were supposed to be looking after him."

J'onn closed his eyes and lowered his head. "There is plenty of blame to be had."

Turning in his chair to face the Martian, Clark frowned. "I don't blame you, J'onn. You were right-we couldn't keep him off of missions forever. It wasn't your fault."

The Martian smiled lightly. "It was not your fault either, Superman. I suppose some things cannot be helped."

They both turned their attention back to the young speedster, who was shivering lightly. Clark stood and grabbed a blanket from a rack near the door. Tucking the young superhero in, Clark smiled in spite of himself.

"He is strong," J'onn assured the Man of Steel. "I am certain he will not give in easily."

Clark sat back down, preparing for a long stay.

**I hope you're right**, he thought to himself. **I sincerely hope you're right**.

* * *

Wally was nowhere. He was nothingness. He sat huddled in the dark emptiness, surrounded by nothing but hatred and loathing. 

Of course, Grimm was there. She stood apart from him, arms crossed, with an unusual look of regret in her dull grey eyes.

"I didn't want it to come to this, Wally," She commented, walking closer across the nothingness. She knelt before him, tilting her head to the side in a patronizing gesture. "But you wouldn't do what was necessary. You've disgraced them."

Wally lifted his head to meet her eyes, confusion evident in his face. Grimm smiled malevolently, disappearing from sight.

"Wallace Rudolph West!"

Flash's eyes darted around for the source of this new voice. A man stood before him, tall with red hair like his own. It couldn't be! …Could it?

The man snarled with distaste. "What a waste you are. I'm ashamed to have ever called you my son."

Wally gawked at his father. More faces appeared, surrounding him.

"Like he was ever much use," scoffed his mother, hatred in her eyes. "He's been worthless since the day he was born. Worst day of my life!"

"You're a dishonor to your name! You've tainted all of my hard work!"

The last voice sent chills down his spine.

"Uncle Barry?" he whispered, looking upon his childhood idol and friend.

Barry scowled. "Don't ever call me that! I'm not your uncle. I want nothing to do with you. You've ruined the name 'Flash'. You're nothing but a weak, waste of space. I wish I'd never laid eyes on you."

More faces and voices appeared, each of them familiar, each of them expressing their revulsion of him. Grimm reappeared and sat just beyond them, at eye level with Flash, smiling at their accusations.

Wally hugged his knees closer to his chest as the attack continued, silent tears running down his pale cheeks.

* * *

…We're getting so close to the end, I can hardly stand it! IT'S COMING, PEOPLE! But will it be happy? Or sad? Only I know! Bwahahaha…. 

Seriously, it's making me upset. I really enjoy this story, and I don't want it to end. I just want to thank everyone for their support so far! Please stick with me:)

Anyways, next up in this little ficlet is some very interesting torture from Grimm. Wally still has a little bit to go before…Well…I can't really tell you.

Oh! And, don't pay much attention to Wally's family/Barry. They aren't really mentioned again, so if you don't know the full back-story (I don't know a lot of it myself), it's not really an issue!

That's all! TTFN!

Keep Smiling! ;)

rogueandkurt


	11. Destination

Okay, another chapter of angsty goodness! With any luck, I'll be done posting this story the day before I leave for vacation, so none of you will be stuck waiting! Yay!

Thanks so very much for the reviews! They mean so much to me! _Waves at 'Not-So-Happy' and 'Vile'_!

And now, without any ado whatsoever, on with the fic!

Disclaimer: Je ne possède la ligue de justice ou aucune de ses caractères. I possèdent seulement Grimm et cette parcelle de terrain. (Eleven years of French, and I translate 'story plot' to mean a 'space of land'. Gotta love education!)

* * *

CHAPTER ELEVEN: DESTINATION 

Shayera wrapped another blanket around the young patient. It was a harder task than one would think due to the restraints. Wally's shivering had increased greatly in the past couple of hours. So had his temperature, which had been 102 at last check.

John had finally managed to fall asleep, but Shayera couldn't allow herself to. She had left John snoring on the couch in the lounge and quietly snuck into Wally's hospital room, which was vacant except for one medic.

It was nearly four o'clock in the afternoon, but she doubted she was to only one who'd had trouble sleeping.

Pressing a hand to Wally's forehead, she found it warm and clammy. Clucking like a disapproving mother, she retrieved a clean cloth from the bathroom and wet it slightly with cold water.

She folded it neatly and pressed it firmly against the young man's forehead.

Her task complete, she returned to her seat at the side of the bed, gently taking Flash's hand in hers.

Shayera sighed. He wasn't in very good shape. At this rate, J'onn predicted that he would not survive the night.

She was still in shock. The idea that Wally might not be around anymore hurt her deeply.

Wally moaned, his eyes clenching tighter.

"It's alright, Wally," she soothed, rubbing his hand in hers.

There was a knock at the door. Not wanting to leave her friend's side, Shayera simply called for the person to enter.

Wonder Woman stepped inside the room, closing the door behind her. J'onn had gone back to his monitoring duties, leaving her without a task to keep herself busy. She stayed by the entrance, as if waiting for Shayera's permission to move closer. The Thanagarian smiled sadly at the Amazon, but motioned for her to sit in the vacant chair next to her.

Diana graciously accepted, frowning when her eyes fell upon the young speedster in bed.

"He's still feverish," Shayera offered, turning back towards her patient.

"You should get some rest," the Princess informed her teammate.

Shayera set her jaw firmly. "I'm not tired."

She didn't add that she was terrified to sleep right now. She felt that if she did, Wally would not be around when she woke up. She couldn't bear to leave his side for fear of never seeing him again.

* * *

"Would you care for a sandwich, Master Bruce?" Alfred held a tray in front of him. The Dark Knight had not stopped his research all night, refusing to leave the Bat Cave for even an instant. 

"I'm not hungry, Alfred," Bruce did not turn around to look at his oldest friend as he answered. Even in the middle of the afternoon, the cave was dark and dreary.

Alfred was relentless. "Starving yourself will not help young Flash get any better. You need your strength."

Batman was not listening. He was busy rechecking his findings under the microscope. It couldn't be! …Could it?

It was. After nearly eighteen hours' work, he had finally found it.

Alfred had given up and had taken the meal upstairs.

Ignoring his butler, Bruce Wayne busily gathered up the necessary supplies. Clicking his earpiece, he contacted the first person he thought of.

"Diana," he spoke to his com-link.

He waited a moment before hearing the response. "Diana here."

"I found it. I'm on my way up there now. Let the others know. Batman out."

And with that, the Caped Crusader was off. With any luck, his findings weren't too late to be of use.

* * *

Diana turned back to Shayera, an enormous smile on her face. 

"That was Bruce," she informed her winged teammate. "He found the cure. He's coming here now."

Shayera breathed a sigh of relief.

Diana stood.

"I'm going to go inform the others. Bruce should be here any minute," The Amazon stated. She left.

Shayera allowed herself a smile once her teammate was gone. Pulling herself closer to Flash's side, she leaned over him slightly.

"Hear that, Wally?" She beamed. "We found it. You're going to be okay. You just have to hold on a little while longer. Hang in there. It'll all be over soon."

* * *

They never stopped. Each face was as familiar as the last, and none of them had a kind word to speak for Wally West. 

Grimm was, at least, enjoying herself. She seemed to grow stronger with each cruel word that was spoken. Throughout the attacks she had never taken her eyes off of Wally. Not even for a second.

They were all faces from his past. From his life. Even Billy Barker, the kid who'd once picked on Wally at the orphanage had come back with a vengeance.

Grimm held up her hand. The voices stopped. She pulled herself closer to Wally, the grin never leaving her face.

"You're doing this to yourself, Wally," the dark girl taunted. "Can't you see what a mess you've made of everyone's life? You're nothing but a screw up!"

Flash had no reply. He was sure he couldn't speak even if he wanted to. All around him, the darkness pulled at his soul. He had cried away all of his tears long ago. He had nothing left. Nothing.

"We should never have let you join us. All you've ever done is ruin things."

The new voice was as familiar as all of the others. Wally lifted his eyes to peer at the cape and cowl that was Batman.

J'onn and Wonder Woman appeared beside the Dark Knight.

"You were a mistake," J'onn informed him, face emotionless as usual. "You were only fooling yourself all these years. How could you ever be in the same class as the rest of us?"

Diana scoffed at his pitiful form. "You are, without a doubt, the most worthless being I have ever laid eyes on. You could never be a real hero."

Wally lowered his eyes, unable to look at them any longer.

"I should have removed you from the League years ago," Batman said scathingly. "Alfred would be a better fighter than you."

"Don't you see?" Patronized Grimm. "Nobody cares about you. You're all alone, Wally West."

Wally closed his eyes and prayed for an end. More than anything, he longed to feel nothingness. An end to his pain, and the pain he had caused by living.

"Good boy," Grimm congratulated, sensing his thoughts. "You shouldn't hold on to a world that hates you so. The quicker you're gone, the better. It'll all be over soon."

Wally felt a tug near his heart as he gave in to the darkness. He just wanted it to be done with. Let the darkness consume him, he didn't care anymore. He deserved it. The world would be a better place without him.

His former friends continued to berate him, and Wally West finally felt himself beginning to slip away…

* * *

Oh it's almost over. Will Wally finally give up? Will Bats reach him with the cure in time? Will John blame himself for Flash's death?…uh…err… forget that last part! You read nothing! NOTHING! 

Ahem. Anyways, please don't forget to REVIEW before leaving! Your chances to do so are growing thin!

TTFN! (And my best wishes to the homework oppressed amongst us! School Sucks!)

Keep Smiling! ;)

rogueandkurt


	12. Elimination

Well, I'm back with the LONGEST CHAPTER in this entire story. It is also the _second-last chapter_. That's right- the next chapter will be the last! THE END IS NEAR!

Hope you guys enjoy this. I also hope it's as emotional for you as it was for me (I almost cried at one point during the writing process! I'm such a baby sometimes!)

And, I'd like to thank **ShyneInc**, the manager of the C2 "The League's Finest", for adding _'Grimm'_ to the C2! If you guys are looking for some more League stories to read, there is a great collection on there!

Alright, enough chitchat! This chapter goes out to **TempestJLU**, **M.**, and **Miss NeKoChan** for their various reviews (and concern for Wally!). Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Still just Grimm. And a bag of nachos.

* * *

CHAPTER TWELVE: ELIMINATION 

By the time Batman arrived at the Watchtower, the other members were already waiting for him inside the hospital room. They were joined by four of the League's best medics.

Without a word, Bruce Wayne stalked towards the hero's bed, grabbing hold of the IV stand. He produced a small vial from his utility belt. The contents of the vial were a peculiar green colour.

He attached the vial to the IV, allowing for the green liquid to flow through Wally's IV and into his bloodstream. The others watched in silence, praying silently that their friend would be cured.

Diana looked questioningly at Bruce.

"It should begin to take affect the moment it hits the bloodstream," he informed the Amazon.

"And it'll cure him?" John questioned, sitting on the foot of the bed. Wally continued to shiver and twitch.

"Not exactly," Batman replied without emotion. "From what J'onn has told me, the drug has reached its most advanced stage. The antidote I made will help to lessen the effects of the drug slightly. The rest is up to Flash."

This news greatly disheartened the superheroes. Flash was weak from the drug. He'd already been to hell and back, and his suicide attempts proved how dismayed he was. How could he possibly hope to fight this curse off?

"Hang in there, pal," Lantern encouraged his friend. "We're here for you."

"You can do this," Shayera did her best to sound confident. "Just don't give up."

"Hera, protect him." Diana added her bit.

The others offered their support to the young speedster. No matter what, they were by his side. They just hoped that he could hear them.

* * *

"You child," insulted Shayera. "All you ever did was mess things up. You were constantly ruining things for John and I, with your pitiful whining. I am sick to death of seeing you look at me like I'm your frickin' mother or something. Grow up! Your own mother wanted nothing to do with you, and neither do I!" 

"You'll never be anything other than worthless!" Superman agreed. "You were always the weak link. And wink links have to be cut loose. You were kidding yourself. You could never be a superhero. You're weak."

John towered over the scarlet speedster. "You actually thought I was your friend? How dim are you? I took pity on you. I humoured you. But you never meant anything to me. You're just a stupid, irresponsible kid! And I'm sick of you always tagging along and getting in the way!"

Grimm knelt before Flash. "They don't want you anymore. They never really did. Just let it go."

Wally tiredly lifted his eyes to the girl's scarred face. He could feel himself disappearing. It wouldn't be long now.

The dark girl's grey eyes were filled with satisfaction. Wally blinked. Was it his imagination, or had she just flickered? No. It had to be his mind playing tricks on him. Nothing could stop Grimm…But the darkness was flickering too. Wasn't it?

Grimm didn't appear to notice. "Wouldn't it be so much easier if you just let go of it all? Just let it fade away. Let the darkness win. There's no point in fighting anymore."

He had to have been wrong. The darkness was still strong, and Grimm was glaring at him, as powerful as ever.

"It's calling you, Wally," she continued, her grey eyes fixed on his. "Just give in."

Give in. It sounded so good to Wally. What had he been holding on for anyways? It was better just to give up.

"That's right," Grimm smiled maliciously. "It will all be over soon. You just have to let go."

Wally felt the darkness consuming him. It was done. He'd finally lost. He had to go now.

**"_NO, WALLY! Take my hand!"_**

That voice. Where had it come from? There was no one here but Grimm. And yet that voice sounded like an angel. So concerned.

"You're hearing things, Wally," Grimm read his thoughts. Was it just his imagination, or did she look worried? "Let go of it all. Then the pain will end. They'll all be better off without you."

**"_I'm here too, Wally!"_**

**"_We're ALL here!"_**

That time he was sure he'd heard something. An image fleeted before his eyes. Six familiar people, all trying desperately to save someone. They were pulling him back with all of their might.

**G.L.? Wings?** Wally tried desperately to hold on to the image. No, memory. His memory. They all looked so worried. Could it possibly have been over him?

"You're wasting your time, Wally," Grimm was definitely upset. "They never cared about you and they never will. It's hopeless."

Was that him they were trying so hard to bring back? He remembered now. They had saved his life. Pulled him from the force. The looks on their faces were not those of hatred, but of concern. Concern for him.

Grimm's grey eyes were turning a soft glow of red. "Stop it! You have no one! You heard them just now!"

But Wally couldn't stop it. His mind was alive with images and feelings. He felt Hawkgirl's hug when she resigned from the League. And heard Supes congratulating him on his first big mission. He saw Princess setting fire to his popcorn machine on movie night, J'onn letting him win at Brawlin'-Bots, and G.L. taking him out for dinner after he got stood up on a date. Even the wry smile he'd received from Batman after taking down a group of villains-the closest he'd ever gotten to a compliment from the man.

They were everywhere. His friends had always been there for him. He'd just been too blind to see it.

Grimm was brimming with hatred. "Lies! All lies! They hated you! You should just give up! You can only bring pain!"

Wally stood up with strength he didn't know he had. He towered over the dark girl.

"NO!" He protested. "I'm through listening to you! You're always telling me that there's so much pain and hatred in my life. But the only pain around here is you!"

The pitch black had lightened to a dark grey. A small light, unseen, began to grow.

"My friends are the best thing that ever happened to me!" He continued, finally finding his voice after all this time. "They care about me. And I care about them! And I'm not about to throw all that away! Not for you."

Grimm seemed to shrink before his eyes. "You're wrong. They'll stab you in the back! And you'll have no one to blame but yourself!"

"I'm sick of giving up!" The Flash bellowed. "I want you out of my head, and out of my life!"

"You'll be sorry…" Grimm threatened, continuing to shrink. The light was growing brighter.

Wally West narrowed his eyes. "I'm already sorry. Sorry that I ever listened to you!"

The light shone so bright that Flash had to cover his eyes.

The last thing he heard was Grimm's angry voice.

"You'll regret this."

And then, there was nothing.

* * *

"I think he's coming out of it!" 

"Flash? Are you alright?"

The light was still so bright; Wally didn't want to open his eyes.

"Wally, can you hear us?"

The voices sounded so concerned. Wally decided he couldn't stay asleep forever. Opening his eyes slowly, the world was a blur to him. He blinked, setting things to focus, and found himself staring up at six familiar faces.

"Is it really you guys?" Flash asked suspiciously. There was no way he was falling for another one of Grimm's tricks.

John chuckled silently. "Of course it's us. You gave us a bit of a scare there. We were worried."

"You were?" Wally rasped. His voice was out of practise, and he was suddenly very tired.

Next thing he knew, Shayera was hugging him tightly. A tear slid down her cheek, but she didn't appear to notice.

"Of course we were," she replied.

Wally blinked. "I told Grimm you would be," he whispered.

The others looked confused.

John raised an eyebrow. "Who's Grimm?"

* * *

"She was never real?" 

No matter how many times he heard it, Wally had trouble wrapping his head around the concept. The whole thing just seemed so…stupid.

John offered his young friend a comforting smile. It had been a bit of a process convincing Flash that none of what he had been seeing the past weeks was real. The others had said their bit to Wally before leaving him to rest. John and Shayera had stayed behind to talk to the young speedster.

"I can't even begin to imagine what you've been going through," Shayera commented.

Wally let his head thump onto the pillow, staring at the ceiling.

"The things she told me…" He stated softly, almost to himself.

John fixed Wally with a concerned look. "You don't have to tell us anything if you don't want to."

"She said everyone hated me. That I was a screw-up, and that I should never have joined the League." Wally appeared to have forgotten all about his two friends, and was now speaking mainly to himself. "I thought I was all alone."

Shayera gripped Wally's left hand, careful of the bandages that were still in place. "It's not true, Wally. We all care about you."

Flash blinked. "We never hang out."

It was a seemingly random comment, and he stated it so factually that it took the other heroes a minute to be certain Flash hadn't lost his mind.

He continued, not waiting for a response. "I'm always getting in the way. Everyone thinks I'm weak."

"Nobody thinks that!" John protested. "You're one of the team!"

"Then why am I the only one who has to have Batman baby-sit them on missions?" Wally did not appear to be angry in the slightest. Instead, he seemed to be trying to distinguish between reality and fiction.

Shayera and John exchanged a look, at a loss for words.

"Wally…" Shayera started cautiously. "The truth is, we were concerned about you. After the incident with Brainiac and Luthor, we didn't want anything to happen to you. We were just trying to protect you."

Flash chuckled mirthlessly. "It didn't work, did it? After all that, you guys couldn't protect me. You couldn't save me…from myself."

Wally choked back a sob as he remembered his jump. "…I was so willing to die…I hardly even thought about it…"

Shayera's eyes brimmed with tears again, and John lowered his head. In their hearts, they both wept for their young friend.

The medicine had cured Wally's body. But his mind…still had a long road ahead of it.

How do you escape from the thoughts inside your head?

* * *

Wow. That was a lot darker than the original chapter (The one with a big group hug and a Wally joke at the end). But I had mixed responses about what should happen in the end. Some people wanted a lot of angst (I think they were hoping for a death), and others wanted a happy-go-lucky ending. So I mixed them together. 

What a long, strange journey it's been! There IS ANOTHER CHAPTER after this, so don't nobody go nowhere!

I'd just like to thank everyone for all of their support for this ficlet! For all of the reviews, the author alerts, and the people who put 'Grimm' on their favourites list! As well as all of the reviews promising to hurt and maim Grimm!

Hope you enjoyed Grimm's finale (The character, not the story!). Come on out and take a bow, Grimm!

**Grimm:** Go to hell. I have to go find someonemore interestingto haunt.

My, isn't she lovely! Well, that was her last appearance, so you won't have to deal with her again! Yay! Ice creams for everyone!

And as much as it pains me to end this ficlet, there are NO plans for a sequel at this point. Not to say I wouldn't enjoy doing one, I simply have no ideas. Any sequel would have to include Grimm, and a guy can only get hit by so many arrows! LOL! So, this will likely be it until the muses descend again.

As I said, the next will be the last chapter, so **_please REVIEW_**! Thanks!

Keep Smiling! ;)

rogueandkurt


	13. EPILOGUE: Regeneration

Here it is. The LAST CHAPTER OF GRIMM! Yikes. I thought thirteen chapters was very fitting for this particular story.

I still can't believe that this is over. It's been the best and worst writing experience of my life! Thank you all for reading!

I would like to add that Grimm is available for loan to anyone who wants her! Aside from torturing cute superheroes, she also does weddings and bar mitzvahs, and is a hired contract killer! So have fun! Go crazy!

No dedications for this one- Too many deserving people!

Just a warning-this chapter is short and does not contain a lot of dialogue. I like to think of it as the 'closure chapter'. Sorry for those of you who like conversations and action.

Disclaimer: Screw it! It's the last chapter!

* * *

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: EPILOGUE-REGENERATION 

"Sometimes I wonder if it was really the drug doing it. I wonder if it wasn't just me all along."

Wally sighed deeply. He couldn't bring himself to look into the understanding eyes of J'onn the Martian, content instead to stare at his own feet. The two heroes sat across from each other in a small conference room.

"It was not your fault, Wally," assured the Martian, observing the young speedster's actions. "I understand how real it must have felt, but you were not responsible for the images."

"But I _was_ responsible for my actions, wasn't I?" Flash countered, angry at his teammate for not blaming him. "I was the one who tried to off myself."

"You believed yourself to be alone in the world, without anyone who cared about you," J'onn's calm reply suggested that he was not upset by Wally's heated comeback. "A belief encouraged by this 'Grimm' character."

He paused. "…She was never real, Flash."

Wally sighed again at the memory of the girl who'd made his life hell. It was hard accepting that someone who'd had such an effect on his life was nothing more than a figment of his imagination.

Flash 's shoulders drooped. "I know that. You guys keep telling me that she was just a hallucination. But…I mean the things that she told me-they were real. The drug couldn't have made all of it up. Some of the stuff she said-the doubts-they're things I worry about. What if this drug was just digging up a part of me? What if, deep down, I really think like that? Frankly, the idea that I could be capable of killing myself…makes me kind of…scared."

J'onn offered a small, comforting smile. "We all have doubts about ourselves, Flash; doubts about our relationships, our abilities, our friends. Having these fears does not make us weak. The difference is whether or not we give in to these worries, allowing them to control our lives. You have many people who care about you, Wally. It is up to you to trust in that. And in them."

The Martian hesitated before reaching across to lay a comforting hand on his teammates shoulder. Wally gave a thankful smile in return.

"Real or not, it's hard to just forget about all of the stuff Grimm told me," Wally commented.

J'onn nodded. "You will always struggle with those thoughts, Wally. But I have no doubt that you will be able to overcome them, as long as you remember that you are not alone."

* * *

Wally left the conference room wearing a content smile for the first time in a while. Nodding to his fellow heroes as he passed them in the halls, he ignored some of the strange looks he received. He was just happy to be up and about again.

It had been nearly a month since 'the incident'. That's how the others referred to it. It had taken Flash longer than usual to recover from his injuries. J'onn had explained that the fever and blood loss had weakened him considerably, and his body just needed time to rest. But Wally had been going stir-crazy inside that small hospital room.

It wasn't as if he'd been alone for the past month, though. On the contrary, he found himself plagued with visitors every hour of the day. John and Shayera hardly left his side that first week. Word had also somehow gotten around to the other Leaguers about his condition. Wally now found himself with more flowers and 'Get Well Soon' cards than he knew what to do with.

Wally had a sneaking suspicion that Superman had encouraged these daily visits in order to keep a watchful eye on him. The Man of Steel was still concerned about Wally's suicide attempts, and was careful not to leave the young speedster alone for too long. This was somewhat difficult, as Batman had stayed true to his word and fired nearly every member of the medical staff. They were still in the process of replacing their doctors. Danny had been promoted to head of his shift.

He'd been discharged from the Med Bay with a clean bill of health after three weeks. But he had been told to stay off of missions for a while. This time, he wasn't all that upset-he knew his friends were just looking out for him.

Flash hadn't been as keen about the therapy.

Superman had insisted on at least two months worth of therapy sessions with J'onn if he ever intended to go on the field again. Wally had reluctantly agreed after some urging from Shayera and John. It had been embarrassing at first, but J'onn was extremely understanding about it.

There were many theories circulating about what had really happened to Wally during those two horrible weeks, as well as what kind of hallucinations he had endured. Unfortunately, these rumors were not restricted to the Watchtower. He got used to seeing his name on the tabloids, complete with inside information from sources claiming that rabid purple bunnies, or other such nonsense, had visited him in his dreams. He got a lot of strange looks from people, almost as if they expected him to randomly dress in drag and do the hula.

The only people privy to the true story were the seven individuals who had been present for most of it. And Wally planned on keeping it that way. After a while, he got used to people thinking he was crazy. It just didn't matter. Not in the end.

Sometimes Wally wondered if it had all really happened, or if it had just been some crazy nightmare his brain had cooked up after eating too many nachos. But the scars on his wrists served as a grim reminder.

He still found himself thinking about Grimm. His friends were constantly assuring him that she'd been a product of the drug, but he wasn't so sure. Maybe she hadn't been so far off when she'd said she was a part of him. Either way, he had the distinct feeling that he'd have to deal with Grimm again some day.

But he wasn't worried. He felt sure he'd be ready for her.

More than anything, he just wanted life back the way it was. But, since that wasn't an option, he'd settle for anything close to normal.

"Wally! For the Fastest Man Alive, you're sure taking your time!" Lantern called teasingly. He was waiting at the end of the hall with his arms wrapped around a smiling Shayera.

"Just a sec!" Wally replied with a grin on his face. Perhaps the best development of the past four weeks was their publicly dating. Wally couldn't imagine two people more perfect for each other.

The three of them were going to catch the new action flick on the surface. Wally was thrilled to be back in the circle again.

"Move it, or we're leaving without you!" joked Shayera.

Wally hurried after the pair, happier than he'd been in a long time. No matter what changes for the League the future had in store, Wally West was just glad to be back with his family where he belonged.

The End.

* * *

How's that for a sappy finale? Well, that's all she wrote! Or all I wrote anyway!

I'd like to thank everyone again for all of their support these past few weeks, and for making Grimm my most successful fic ever!

My special thanks go out to(in no particular order): **doc-trigger, DianaRulz, Gotham's Princess, M., Taichi Prime, Sokerfreek922, Monty009, Tsuki no Lomelinde, lins, Lady Raiden, Soothing Burn, Lady Jaye1, ccabello, star's dreams, Hersenschim, Lavender Wonder, Eelectric-diva-Nina, Angelic Temptress, ddeath'sdiary, Wind Wanderer, TempestJLU, Miss NeKoChan **For their numerous reviews and support!

And thanks to everyone else for adding Grimm to favourites lists, author alerts, C2s, and just for reading it! It means more than I can say!

So far, I still have no plans for a sequel, but I might change my mind. Who knows? Either way, I wont be posting anything for a while!

Now, I'm finally off on vacation! Toronto, here I come!

Goodbye, All!

Keep Smiling! ;)

rogueandkurt


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